BRAZILIAN DOWNER

26 February 2010

How would you feel if you were cheated out of
a $30 million lottery bonanza?

Agence France Presse reports the heartbreaking Brazilian
gambling story of a 40-strong lottery syndicate that
rejoiced over winning $30 million, only to discover that
the seller had not entered the numbers in the draw.

Police are investigating a case of fraud after the
shop that sold the lucky ticket failed to register it,
thus disqualifying it from winning the massive prize.

"We know that the ticket was paid for and if the
ticket was not properly issued [by the seller] then
fraud was committed," a local police chief, Clovis da
Silva, said.

The government financial agency
responsible for the lottery has suspended the shop in
the southern city of Novo Hamburgo, and the bitter
would-be winners are looking at launching a lawsuit.